Welcome the Child
by Mary Alice Gran
It seemed like a normal Sunday morning worship service. After greeting one another warmly, worshipers settled in to follow the regular flow of the service.
The morning prayer was moving and, as always, was followed by the Lord's Prayer. But we were hardly past the "Our Father," when our breathing almost stopped. Above all the intoning voices of the congregation, a clear voice of a three-year-old rang out. Having newly learned the Lord's Prayer, he prayed with exuberance and meaning. We wanted to stop and just listen, yet knew we needed to continue to pray with him. By the end of the prayer, we knew we had truly worshiped that morning. The service could have ended at that moment. A child had led us to God, and nothing else mattered.
That unplanned, spontaneous moment could never be duplicated. Yet adults can assure that worship is a welcoming place for children where their comfort in worship encourages such moments to occur. Here are some suggestions for encouraging children in worship:
- When greeting a family, greet the children. Learn their names so that the next time you see them, you can greet each personally.
- Visit briefly with children as you might adults. Ask about school or about what they like to do. Ask a parent about each child's interests and remember them for future conversations. Be aware that shy children take longer to build the confidence needed to talk to you, a stranger. Take small steps in building a relationship.
- During worship, offer kind smiles and exchange brief joy-filled eye contact. Try not to ever offer a judgmental frown.
- After worship, express great joy that the child was in worship — to the parents and to the child.
- If you are a worship planner, think about children as you plan. Include the senses in worship. Sight, sound, and smell can be very important. Plan ways children can be leaders, successfully, in the worship service. Remember them in all parts of worship, from the call to worship to the sending forth.
- If you are a worship leader, deliberately include children. When praying, remember to include what is important to children. Include child-friendly examples in the sermon. Help the congregation appreciate the children worshiping with them.
Mary Alice Gran (mgran@gbod.org) is Director of Ministries with Children at The United Methodist General Board of Discipleship, Nashville, Tennessee.